1.NUMB endocytic adaptor protein (NUMB) mediates the anti-hepatic fibrosis effect of artesunate (ART) by inducing senescence in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).
Yangling QIU ; Yujia LI ; Mengran LI ; Yingqian WANG ; Min SHEN ; Jiangjuan SHAO ; Feng ZHANG ; Xuefen XU ; Feixia WANG ; Zili ZHANG ; Shizhong ZHENG
Chinese Journal of Natural Medicines (English Ed.) 2025;23(3):322-333
Developing and identifying effective medications and targets for treating hepatic fibrosis is an urgent priority. Our previous research demonstrated the efficacy of artesunate (ART) in alleviating liver fibrosis by eliminating activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear despite these findings. Notably, endocytic adaptor protein (NUMB) has significant implications for treating hepatic diseases, but current research primarily focuses on liver regeneration and hepatocellular carcinoma. The precise function of NUMB in liver fibrosis, particularly its ability to regulate HSCs, requires further investigation. This study aims to elucidate the role of NUMB in the anti-hepatic fibrosis action of ART in HSCs. We observed that the expression level of NUMB significantly decreased in activated HSCs compared to quiescent HSCs, exhibiting a negative correlation with the progression of liver fibrosis. Additionally, ART induced senescence in activated HSCs through the NUMB/P53 tumor suppressor (P53) axis. We identified NUMB as a crucial regulator of senescence in activated HSCs and as a mediator of ART in determining cell fate. This research examines the specific target of ART in eliminating activated HSCs, providing both theoretical and experimental evidence for the treatment of liver fibrosis.
Hepatic Stellate Cells/cytology*
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Liver Cirrhosis/genetics*
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Artesunate/pharmacology*
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Cellular Senescence/drug effects*
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Membrane Proteins/genetics*
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Animals
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Humans
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Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics*
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Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/genetics*
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Male
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Mice
2.Status and influencing factors of breastfeeding motivation in early postpartum women
Cui MA ; Lin LI ; Pengying CHEN ; Xuefen LI ; Ping YU ; Xinyu WANG ; Meilong DAI
Journal of Clinical Medicine in Practice 2025;29(4):123-128
Objective To investigate the current status of breastfeeding motivation in early post-partum women and analyze the influencing factors of breastfeeding motivation.Methods A conven-ience sampling method was used to select 205 hospitalized women within 48 to 72 hours postpartum as the study subjects.The women were surveyed using a general information questionnaire,a breastfeed-ing motivation scale,a breastfeeding knowledge questionnaire,and a short-form scale for breastfeed-ing self-efficacy.Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to explore the influencing factors of breastfeeding motivation among the women.Results The average score for autonomous motivation to-wards breastfeeding among 205 women was(49.94±7.62),and the average score for controlled mo-tivation was(23.76±3.59).The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that age,par-ticipation in breastfeeding-related courses during pregnancy,planned duration of breastfeeding,skill dimension score of the short-form scale for breastfeeding self-efficacy,and total score on the breast-feeding knowledge questionnaire were influencing factors for the autonomous motivation score towards breastfeeding(P<0.05);participation in breastfeeding-related courses during pregnancy,skill di-mension score on the short-form breastfeeding self-efficacy,and total score on the breastfeeding knowledge questionnaire were influencing factors for the controlled motivation score towards breast-feeding(P<0.05).Conclusion The level of breastfeeding motivation in early postpartum women needs to be improved.Healthcare providers should focus on maternal age and planned duration of breastfeeding,strengthen breastfeeding knowledge education,and enhance maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy to improve maternal breastfeeding motivation and breastfeeding rates.
3.Construction and application of prenatal health education curriculum based on virtual simulation technology
Xiaojing YU ; Xuefen XU ; Lili XU ; Yanping TIAN ; Danfeng FAN ; Suwen FENG
Chinese Journal of Nursing 2024;59(2):184-190
Objective To construct,implement and evaluate the effectiveness of the virtual simulation technology-based prenatal health education course.Methods The curriculum included 4 parts:"warm delivery room and easy delivery","medicated analgesic delivery","non-medicated analgesic delivery"and"early maternal and infant health care".From May to September 2022,100 primiparas in an obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Zhejiang Province were investigated by convenient sampling method.Random number table method was used to divide the participants into an experimental group and a control group,with 50 participants per group.The control group received conventional health education,while the experimental group received an augmented virtual reality technology-based prenatal health education course during the late stages of pregnancy on this basis.We conducted a post-intervention comparative analysis of antenatal anxiety levels,fear of childbirth,and birth outcomes between the 2 groups.Furthermore,a post-intervention satisfaction survey was administered to the experimental group.Results After intervention,the antenatal anxiety of the experimental group was lower than that of the control group(x2=4.943,P=0.026),and the decrease in fear of childbirth scores was higher than that of the control group(t=3.200,P=0.002).The experimental group was highly satisfied with all of the 4 dimensions of the course,and the overall evaluation was(31.8±3.23)points.However,there were no significant differences in vaginal delivery rate,postpartum bleeding volume,postpartum hemorrhage incidence,perineal injury degree and duration of each labor stage between the 2 groups(P>0.05).Conclusion The virtual reality technology-based prenatal health education course was effective in improving the antenatal anxiety and fear of childbirth of primipara,and the use satisfaction is high.
4.Speech and language rehabilitation services for children with hearing impairment based on ICF:theoretical framework and service system
Jing ZHOU ; Ling YI ; Jianchao CHEN ; Xuefen CHEN ; Xingxing WEI ; Jingjing CHEN
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2024;30(7):745-751
Objective Based on the bio-psycho-social model of functioning and health of International Classification of Function-ing,Disability and Health(ICF)framework,this paper systematically analyzes rehabilitation-related policy docu-ments of the World Health Organization(WHO)to explore the theoretical and policy principles,service systems,priority development areas,and main policy and technical measures for speech and language rehabilitation for children with hearing impairment. Methods Under literature research and policy analysis methods,this paper systematically reviewed the functioning and health framework of ICF,relevant WHO policy reports and American Speech and Hearing Association technical documents,analyzed the current status and needs of rehabilitation services in China,and proposed a theoretical framework,priority areas,and main policy and technical measures for constructing an ICF-based speech and lan-guage rehabilitation service system for children with hearing impairment. Results There were eight major principles for the development of speech and language rehabilitation for children with hearing impairment:child-centered and respect for individual differences,life-cycle support and promoting con-tinuous development,evidence-based practice,multidisciplinary collaboration,building family participation sup-port networks,promoting integrated education and social participation,focusing on cultural sensitivity,and tech-nology-empowered rehabilitation innovation.Five service systems were elaborated,including comprehensive ear-ly screening,diagnosis,and intervention system;family and social support system;multidisciplinary team servic-es system;comprehensive,multi-level speech and language rehabilitation service system;and digitally empow-ered services to build new rehabilitation service models.The priority development areas,and main policy and technical measures for speech and language rehabilitation for children with hearing impairment were also dis-cussed. Conclusion Based on the bio-psycho-social model of functioning and health of ICF,comprehensive,personalized,con-tinuous,high-quality and universally accessible speech and language rehabilitation services can be developed by implementing measures,such as strengthening policy support,improving service systems,cultivating multidisci-plinary professionals,promoting digital empowerment technologies and enhancing support system,to promote the overall development,social participation and quality of life for children with hearing impairment.
5.Developing an education system for speech-language-hearing rehabilitation technology in higher vocational colleg-es based on WHO rehabilitation competency framework
Jing ZHOU ; Zhongbing DING ; Kaiying ZHONG ; Dan WANG ; Qunqun LI ; Yanjing CAO ; Xuefen CHEN
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2024;30(9):993-1002
Objective To explore the construction of a core competency framework and content for higher vocational speech-lan-guage-hearing rehabilitation technology programs based on World Health Organization rehabilitation competency framework(RCF). Methods Utilizing RCF and integrating the educational objectives for higher vocational speech-language-hearing reha-bilitation programs outlined by the Ministry of Education in 2022,as well as the technical documents from the In-ternational Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association,this study analyzed the professional activities in speech-language-hearing rehabilitation technology to construct a competency framework based on RCF and give details in the specific content of each domain. Results The competency for speech-language-hearing rehabilitation technology encompassed seven domains:core val-ues,beliefs,practice,professionalism,learning and development,management and leadership,and research.Each domain was subdivided into specific competency elements and professional activities. Conclusion Establishing a higher vocational education system for speech-language-hearing rehabilitation technology based on RCF will help to set educational objectives,and construct curriculum systems,so that to cultivate practi-tioner who meet social needs and possess comprehensive professional skills and competencies.
6.Construction of curriculum system of higher vocational education in speech-language-hearing rehabilitation based on WHO rehabilitation competency framework
Wen SUN ; Yongsheng LIANG ; Yu ZHANG ; Jing ZHOU ; Weiwei GAO ; Yongli WANG ; Xuefen CHEN
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Theory and Practice 2024;30(9):1003-1010
Objective To construct a curriculum system for higher vocational education in speech-language-hearing rehabilitation based on the World Health Organization rehabilitation competency framework(RCF),to align with international standards. Methods Based on RCF,curriculum theory and principles of vocational education psychology,a curriculum system and its content for higher vocational education in speech-language-hearing rehabilitation were developed.The curric-ulum content and core competencies were analyzed in detail across four levels:basic courses,specialized basic courses,specialized core courses and practical training courses. Results From the perspective of the seven competency domains of RCF,the theoretical and practical significance of con-structing a speech-language-hearing higher vocational education curriculum system based on RCF was systemati-cally elaborated.The study emphasized the importance of establishing competency-oriented higher vocational re-habilitation education for developing students'professional competence,adapting to job requirements,and pro-moting career development.A curriculum content system for speech-language-hearing rehabilitation higher voca-tional education based on RCF was systematically constructed,encompassing basic courses,professional cours-es,and practical training courses.The course names,main content and competency objectives at each level were analyzed in detail. Conclusion It is important to develop the course system of higher vocational education of speech-language-hearing reha-bilitation based on RCF.By comparing with international standards,the curriculum is optimized,focusing on im-proving students'vocational competence and promoting the international development.The curriculum system covers key areas such as core values,beliefs,practice and professionalism,integrates basic,core and practical training courses to achieve a competence-oriented curriculum system for higher vocational speech-language-hear-ing rehabilitation education.
7.Gland segmentation in colorectal pathological image using dual-branch network based on weakly supervised learning
Zicheng LI ; Wei JIA ; Xuefen ZHAO ; Hongjuan GAO
Chinese Journal of Medical Physics 2024;41(9):1104-1114
To address the issue that the existing weakly supervised segmentation methods have difficulties in obtaining fine-grained glandular features from colorectal pathological images,leading to the inability to generate high-quality pseudo-labels and compromising the gland segmentation performance,a dual-branch network based on weakly supervised learning is proposed for gland segmentation in colorectal pathological image.The patch-level colorectal pathological images are input into the first branch network,where the interaction and fusion of local and global features of patch-level images are achieved through the feature interaction module and affinity attention fusion module,and fine-grained glandular features are obtained.Subsequently,image-level colorectal pathological images are input into the second branch network,where the gland locations are located using the partial class activation attention module,and coarse-grained class activation maps are obtained.Finally,high-quality pseudo-labels are derived from the fine-grained glandular features and coarse-grained class activation maps,and gland segmentation is realized in the segmentation network through the cross-scale connected spatial perception module.The tests on two colorectal pathological image datasets(GlaS and CRAG)reveal that the proposed method is superior to other segmentation methods in segmentation performance,confirming its effectiveness.
8.Melanoma image segmentation method based on edge key points and edge attention
Na WANG ; Wei JIA ; Xuefen ZHAO ; Hongjuan GAO
Chinese Journal of Medical Physics 2024;41(10):1225-1236
High-precision segmentation of melanoma images is crucial for early diagnosis and improving patient survival.However,the blurring of the edge region of melanoma,which presents irregular shapes,makes it difficult for existing segmentation methods to obtain edge feature information,affecting the accuracy of melanoma image segmentation.To solve this problem,a melanoma image segmentation method based on edge key points and edge attention is proposed.An edge key point selection module for point rendering and a combined convolution transformer block are designed in the encoder to guide the acquisition of local and global features of the edge by selecting edge key points.Then,the edge refinement module is designed in the encoder to refine the edge features of the deep network,and finally,the multi-scale edge attention module is designed in the skip connection,which enables the capture of the edge shape features at multiple scales.The tests on two datasets(ISIC 2018 and PH2)demonstrate that the proposed method has better segmentation performance than the existing segmentation methods.
9.Effects of Acupuncture at Acupoints along Meridians on the Expressions of Frontal Lobe Associated Protein Kinase in Insomnia Rats
Xuefen WU ; Zhou ZHU ; Qian MO ; Xiaoshan ZHANG ; Yangwanlin SHI ; Yanru WU ; Xiaoqi JIA ; Xiaofang YANG
Chinese Journal of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine 2024;31(10):115-120
Objective To observe the effects of acupuncture at acupoints along the meridians on the expression of frontal lobe associated protein kinase in pchlorophenylalanine(PCPA)induced insomnia rats;To explore the mechanism of acupuncture in improving insomnia.Methods Totally 60 rats were randomly divided into blank group,model group,sham acupuncture group,acupuncture group and Western medicine group,with 12 rats in each group.An insomnia model rat was induced by intraperitoneal injection of PCPA.The acupuncture group received acupuncture at"Baihui","Shenmen"(bilateral),and"Sanyinjiao"(bilateral),while the sham acupuncture group only fixed the needle at the corresponding acupoints but did not penetrate the skin,while the model group was only fixed for 30 minutes,the Western medicine group was given a solution of estazolam by gavage for 7 consecutive days,the blank group was not treated.The pentobarbital sodium reversal experiment was used to detect the sleep latency and sleep time of rats,ELISA was used to detect the content of melatonin(MT)in plasma,RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expressions of calmodulin dependent protein kinase(CaMK)Ⅱ,protein kinase C(PKC)and p38 mitogen activated protein kinase(MAPK)in frontal lobe tissue,and Western blot was used to detect the protein expressions of CaMKⅡ,PKC and p38MAPK in frontal lobe tissue.Results Compared with the blank group,the sleep latency of the model group rats were significantly prolonged and the sleep time were significantly shortened(P<0.01),the content of MT in plasma was significantly reduced(P<0.01),and the mRNA and protein expressions of CaMKⅡ and PKC in frontal lobe tissue were significantly decreased(P<0.01),the mRNA and protein expressions of p38MAPK were significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the sleep latency were significantly shortened and the sleep time were significantly prolonged in the acupuncture group and the Western medicine group(P<0.01),the plasma MT content significantly increased(P<0.01),the mRNA and protein expressions of CaMKⅡ and PKC in frontal lobe tissue significantly increased(P<0.05),and the mRNA and protein expression of p38MAPK significantly decreased(P<0.01).Compared with the sham acupuncture group,the sleep latency shortened and sleep time were significantly prolonged in the acupuncture group and the Western medicine group(P<0.01),plasma MT content significantly increased(P<0.01),PKC mRNA expression in frontal lobe tissue significantly increased(P<0.01),and p38MAPK mRNA expression significantly decreased(P<0.01).There was no statistically difference in various indicators between the acupuncture group and the Western medicine group(P>0.05).Conclusion Acupuncture at acupoints along the meridians can shorten the sleep latency and prolong sleep time,improve sleep status by regulating the expression of associated protein kinase in frontal lobe of insomnia rats.
10.Genomic alterations in oral multiple primary cancers
Zhou XUAN ; Cai XINJIA ; Jing FENGYANG ; Li XUEFEN ; Zhang JIANYUN ; Zhang HEYU ; Li TIEJUN
International Journal of Oral Science 2024;16(1):145-153
Oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)is the predominant type of oral cancer,while some patients may develop oral multiple primary cancers(MPCs)with unclear etiology.This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics and genomic alterations of oral MPCs.Clinicopathological data from patients with oral single primary carcinoma(SPC,n=202)and oral MPCs(n=34)were collected and compared.Copy number alteration(CNA)analysis was conducted to identify chromosomal-instability differences among oral MPCs,recurrent OSCC cases,and OSCC patients with lymph node metastasis.Whole-exome sequencing was employed to identify potential unique gene mutations in oral MPCs patients.Additionally,CNA and phylogenetic tree analyses were used to gain preliminary insights into the molecular characteristics of different primary tumors within individual patients.Our findings revealed that,in contrast to oral SPC,females predominated the oral MPCs(70.59%),while smoking and alcohol use were not frequent in MPCs.Moreover,long-term survival outcomes were poorer in oral MPCs.From a CNA perspective,no significant differences were observed between oral MPCs patients and those with recurrence and lymph node metastasis.In addition to commonly mutated genes such as CASP8,TP53 and MUC16,in oral MPCs we also detected relatively rare mutations,such as HS3ST6 and RFPL4A.Furthermore,this study also demonstrated that most MPCs patients exhibited similarities in certain genomic regions within individuals,and distinct differences of the similarity degree were observed between synchronous and metachronous oral MPCs.

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